For information about scientific research on music as a healing modality, I recommend this link: Music As Medicine: The Impact of Healing Harmonies (from the Harvard Medical School).
My first encounter of music's capacity to heal the spirit was in facility for folks with dementia. When I led songs that participants grew up with, I saw firsthand music's capacity to shift people's mood and energy. Worth watching are videos of a couple of dementia patients: a former ballerina in her 90's and a musician who somehow come back to life when the caregivers played the music they used to perform in their younger days. In this article "Science and Culture: At the nexus of music and medicine", the author investigates the current research in neuroscience on the use of music in the healing process of patients, especially its ability to ease anxiety. In the spiritual care groups that I lead, I pick musical chants or prayerful songs with lyrics that are are thematically connected with the story of the day. While some songs come from religious traditions (say, gospels/spirituals), many are contemporary and even sometimes from pop culture. My practice of music in spiritual care is shaped by Music that Makes Community - a nonprofit organization that values the healing power of community singing through paperless singing. For this reason, music in my spiritual care groups are not supposed to be performative, but rather a community endeavor, inviting participants to co-lead in creating music. This page (and list below) is a work in progress - at a later time I will be posting videos of the songs below. The songs listed below are diverse and are sung in diverse ways: a cappella style, with guitar, drums, shruti, and sometimes with integrated body movement or dance.
My first encounter of music's capacity to heal the spirit was in facility for folks with dementia. When I led songs that participants grew up with, I saw firsthand music's capacity to shift people's mood and energy. Worth watching are videos of a couple of dementia patients: a former ballerina in her 90's and a musician who somehow come back to life when the caregivers played the music they used to perform in their younger days. In this article "Science and Culture: At the nexus of music and medicine", the author investigates the current research in neuroscience on the use of music in the healing process of patients, especially its ability to ease anxiety. In the spiritual care groups that I lead, I pick musical chants or prayerful songs with lyrics that are are thematically connected with the story of the day. While some songs come from religious traditions (say, gospels/spirituals), many are contemporary and even sometimes from pop culture. My practice of music in spiritual care is shaped by Music that Makes Community - a nonprofit organization that values the healing power of community singing through paperless singing. For this reason, music in my spiritual care groups are not supposed to be performative, but rather a community endeavor, inviting participants to co-lead in creating music. This page (and list below) is a work in progress - at a later time I will be posting videos of the songs below. The songs listed below are diverse and are sung in diverse ways: a cappella style, with guitar, drums, shruti, and sometimes with integrated body movement or dance.
1. Shalom My Friend (Peace)
2. Peace Salaam Shalom (Peace)
3. Peace Before Us (Peace)
4. In Beauty Happily I Walk (Navajo: Pollen Path)
5. Holy Holiness (Seeing the Holy)
6. I Am Here in the Heart of Love (Love, Peace, Hope)
7. Open My Heart (Opening to Receive & Release)
8. Come Light of Lights into My Heart (Receiving)
9. For All These Blessings (Gratitude)
10. The Only Way Through Is Through (The Journey)
11. This Is Home Where I Belong (Mindfulness)
12. Dwelling in the Present Moment (Mindfulness)
13. I'm Sending You Light (Healing)
14. Wider Circles (Community Gathering)
15. Come, Come Whoever You Are (Invitation to the Journey)
16. Wade In The Water (Invitation to Tread the Waters)
17. Drop the Oars (Going with the Currents)
18. Take My Hand Precious Lord (Asking for Help)
19. Honor the Dark (Honoring the Difficult Process)
20. Change Us With Your Leaven
21. Dancing In the Dark (Rihanna)
22. I Planted Seeds and Nothing Came Up (Waiting, Growth)
23. Do Small Things with Great Love (The Act of Love)
24. Hope is Deeper Than Despair (Hope)
25. Shepherd Me (Journey Towards New Life)
26. Remember Me "Recuerdame" (Grief)
27. Across the Seas Storms May Go (On Stormy Seas)
28. The Lord Bless You & Keep You (Blessing/Benediction)
29. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars - start at 28:00 (Affirming our Belovedness)
30. I See Your True Colors (Guitar Chords ) by Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick (Affirming our Belovedness)
31. Light Chant
32. It's OK (Feeling Lost)
32. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2 (Searching)
33. Rowing (Sailing) to the Sea of Life
34. Growing Seed
35. The Pearl Merchant's Song
Recommended Pop Songs
Sacred Space (India Arie)
Hallelujah (Alicia Keys)
Jerusalema (Master KG)
It's OK (NightBirde)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2)
Show Yourself (Frozen 2) - search for meaning (Parable of the Pearl)
Wandering (James Taylor) - searching, journeying, twists and turns
One (U2)
How Far I'll Go (Moana by Pixar - song by Lin-manuel Miranda)
Lean On Me (Bill Withers)
You've Got A Friend in Me - Toy Story (Randy Newman)
I See the Light (Tangled by Pixar - song by Alan Irwin Menken / Glenn Evan Slater)
Firework (Katie Perry) - hope/moving towards the light, owning your light
Roar (Katie Perry) - claiming our power
Shout (Tears for Fears) - on giving voice - letting out what's deep in us & not keep things in
Rise Up (Andra Day) - on hope
Let It Go - Frozen (Kristen Anderson-Lopez / Robert Lopez) - Trashcan Tool
Shake It Off (Taylor Swift) - Trashcan Tool
Show Yourself (Kristen Anderson-Lopez / Robert Lopez) -
Circle of Life (Elton John)
Monster (Rihanna & Eminem) - mental health struggle
1. Shalom My Friend (Peace)
2. Peace Salaam Shalom (Peace)
3. Peace Before Us (Peace)
4. In Beauty Happily I Walk (Navajo: Pollen Path)
5. Holy Holiness (Seeing the Holy)
6. I Am Here in the Heart of Love (Love, Peace, Hope)
7. Open My Heart (Opening to Receive & Release)
8. Come Light of Lights into My Heart (Receiving)
9. For All These Blessings (Gratitude)
10. The Only Way Through Is Through (The Journey)
11. This Is Home Where I Belong (Mindfulness)
12. Dwelling in the Present Moment (Mindfulness)
13. I'm Sending You Light (Healing)
14. Wider Circles (Community Gathering)
15. Come, Come Whoever You Are (Invitation to the Journey)
16. Wade In The Water (Invitation to Tread the Waters)
17. Drop the Oars (Going with the Currents)
18. Take My Hand Precious Lord (Asking for Help)
19. Honor the Dark (Honoring the Difficult Process)
20. Change Us With Your Leaven
21. Dancing In the Dark (Rihanna)
22. I Planted Seeds and Nothing Came Up (Waiting, Growth)
23. Do Small Things with Great Love (The Act of Love)
24. Hope is Deeper Than Despair (Hope)
25. Shepherd Me (Journey Towards New Life)
26. Remember Me "Recuerdame" (Grief)
27. Across the Seas Storms May Go (On Stormy Seas)
28. The Lord Bless You & Keep You (Blessing/Benediction)
29. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars - start at 28:00 (Affirming our Belovedness)
30. I See Your True Colors (Guitar Chords ) by Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick (Affirming our Belovedness)
31. Light Chant
32. It's OK (Feeling Lost)
32. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2 (Searching)
33. Rowing (Sailing) to the Sea of Life
34. Growing Seed
35. The Pearl Merchant's Song
Recommended Pop Songs
Sacred Space (India Arie)
Hallelujah (Alicia Keys)
Jerusalema (Master KG)
It's OK (NightBirde)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2)
Show Yourself (Frozen 2) - search for meaning (Parable of the Pearl)
Wandering (James Taylor) - searching, journeying, twists and turns
One (U2)
How Far I'll Go (Moana by Pixar - song by Lin-manuel Miranda)
Lean On Me (Bill Withers)
You've Got A Friend in Me - Toy Story (Randy Newman)
I See the Light (Tangled by Pixar - song by Alan Irwin Menken / Glenn Evan Slater)
Firework (Katie Perry) - hope/moving towards the light, owning your light
Roar (Katie Perry) - claiming our power
Shout (Tears for Fears) - on giving voice - letting out what's deep in us & not keep things in
Rise Up (Andra Day) - on hope
Let It Go - Frozen (Kristen Anderson-Lopez / Robert Lopez) - Trashcan Tool
Shake It Off (Taylor Swift) - Trashcan Tool
Show Yourself (Kristen Anderson-Lopez / Robert Lopez) -
Circle of Life (Elton John)
Monster (Rihanna & Eminem) - mental health struggle
